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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · tear · club · mine · hide · straw

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. club — a group
  7. tear — from crying
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. club — for dancing
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com